French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is already indicted on rape and sexual assault charges, is now being investigated for aggravated fiscal fraud in France, according to a report published in French investigative outlet Mediapart.
In December 2012, Depardieu announced he was abandoning his French citizenship and moving to Belgium shortly after then-president Francois Hollande vowed to impose a 75% tax on income above €1 million a year. He obtained citizenships in Russia and Belgium, where he bought a villa for €1.2 million located near the French border.
At the time, in an op-ed published in the French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche, Depardieu said he didn’t have to justify the “numerous and intimate” reasons behind his choice. “I’m leaving, after having paid in 2012 85% of taxes on my revenues,” he wrote. “But I keep the spirit of this France, which used to be beautiful and I hope will remain so.”
But a year ago, France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) launched a preliminary investigation into Depardieu, accusing him of having falsely established his primary residence in Belgium in order to avoid France’s high taxes and continuing to live in France, according to Mediapart, which cited legal documents. The publication also reports that the villa that Depardieu bought in 2013 has been converted into a bed and breakfast where the actor has rarely been seen. Several people have been taken into police custody in France and Belgium as part of the probe.
Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremy Assous, has denied the information reported by Mediapart. In a statement sent to Variety, Assous said: “Once again, the information from Mediapart and the PNF is inaccurate. The tax authorities have been trying for years to establish fraud. Unsuccessfully, they are now trying to do so through criminal proceedings … Some would be tempted to describe these judicial methods as shabby, but they are legal and customary.”
The 75-year-old actor is due to stand trial on March 24 and 25 on charges stemming from two alleged sexual assaults dating back to the filming of Jean Becker’s “The Green Shutters” (“Les volets verts”) in the South of France in August and September 2021. Based on these charges, Depardieu risks five years of imprisonment and a fine of €75,000.
The actor has long been considered a mascot of France’s cinematic history and has starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Peter Weir’s “Green Card,” opposite Andie MacDowell.
